Can NAACP's College-Sports Boycott Save Voting Rights?

Partisan gerrymandering in Republican-controlled southern states threatens to reduce Black representation in Congress and state legislatures. The NAACP responds with an “Out of Bounds” campaign aimed at pressuring states to restore fair congressional maps and meaningful Black representation. The campaign asks top football and basketball recruits to withhold commitments to targeted programs until map fairness and representation improve. It also urges current college athletes, including those already enrolled at targeted programs, to consider options such as using the transfer portal. Athletes are encouraged to use their platforms and NIL compensation reach to elevate fair maps and voting rights. The boycott targets athletic programs at public flagship universities with more than $100 million in annual revenues in eight states, listing specific institutions across major conferences.

"The "Out of Bounds" campaign focuses on one primary ask, calling on top football and basketball recruits currently being actively recruited by targeted programs to withhold their commitments until the states in question restore fair congressional maps and meaningful Black representation. The campaign also calls on current college athletes - including those who may already be enrolled at targeted programs - to consider their options, including the transfer portal, and to use their platforms and NIL [name-image-likeness compensation] reach to elevate fair maps and voting rights."

"Athletic programs subject to this boycott will be those with more than $100 million in annual revenues at "public flagship universities" in eight states: Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Georgia. A separate NAACP document enumerates the target institutions. From the Southeast Conference, the boycott affects the University of Alabama, Auburn University, the University of Florida, the University of Georgia, Louisiana State University, the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, the University of South Carolina, the University of Tennessee, the University of Texas, and Texas A&M University."

"From the Atlantic Coast Conference, the targets are Clemson University and Florida State University. This is big-time college-football and -basketball country we're talking abou"

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